Sand blasting is used in maintenance of bridges and other structures. Sand blasting removes layers of rust and paint prior to repainting the surface so that new paint can bind properly.
Sand blasting uses high pressure and abrasive material forced through a nozzle on a blast hose at the area being blasted. When sand blasting, a cloud of dust is created by the blast media and particulates that obscures the work area. The sand blaster has a light attached to the blast hose adjacent to the nozzle to see the work area through the cloud of blast material.
Current lights burn out frequently and need to be replaced. Additionally, the lens that protects the light bulb from the blast media and debris is damaged in the process and needs to be frequently replaced. The protective lens attaches by a metal gasket with spring clips, screws or similar fasteners and is neither waterproof nor dust-proof offering little protection to the light itself.
The light requires disassembly to change the bulb, which involves the worker leaving the immediate area, finding tools such as a screwdriver, replacing the bulb and then returning to the work area. Since the work area may be on a scaffold high above, time is lost while the worker descends, traverses the site in search of a new light bulb and re-ascends to the work area. This may happen once a shift for each worker, causing great loss of productivity and slippage of timetables.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present disclosure as disclosed hereafter.
In the present disclosure, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which the present disclosure is concerned.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate the present disclosure, no technical aspects are disclaimed and it is contemplated that the claims may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.